British Steel wins deals with Italy's rail network

Scunthorpe-based British Steel has won two multi-million-pound contracts to supply 86,000 tonnes of rail to Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), which manages Italy’s railway infrastructure.

The first contract is to supply 68,000 tonnes of its standard-grade rail, and the second is for 18,000 tonnes of its premium heat-treated SF350 rails.

These latest contract wins follow major deals secured in September with Network Rail and in October with Infrabel, which operates Belgium’s railways.

Richard Bell, British Steel’s commercial director for rail (www.britishsteel.co.uk), said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded these contracts, which reflect our on-going commitment to delivering high-quality rail in Italy.

"For each of our agreements with RFI, Network Rail and Infrabel, we’ve had to go through a rigorous tendering process, so these contracts are excellent demonstrations of our ability to provide first-class products and services in highly competitive markets.

“Our SF range of premium heat-treated rails is increasingly popular, as rail is being asked to perform for longer in heavier traffic.

“We developed the ‘stress-free’ rail to address the need for high resistance to wear and rolling-contact fatigue — along with improved foot fatigue performance — to extend the service life of the rail.”

British Steel first made its premium heat-treated rail in 1984 and has since supplied more than one million tonnes of it for networks in six continents — enough to build a railway from London to Beijing.